


Memento Amare

by fangirlSevera



Category: The 4400
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-14
Updated: 2012-02-14
Packaged: 2017-10-31 04:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/339929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlSevera/pseuds/fangirlSevera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Valentine's Day and presents. Really, it's nothing but cotton candy, people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memento Amare

It was hard to say if he had been consciously aware of what particular day it had been when he first shyly handed Tess a book he thought she would like to read. It was a yellowed copy of Jules Verne's _The Time Machine_. He had never seen her smile so wide before, and it was the prettiest smile he had ever seen.

"I have something for you, too!" Tess pulled out her sketchbook and started flipping through the pages. "Dr. Clayton always wants to see my drawings. I didn't let him see this one. It's too special for him. It's only for you." She ripped out a page and handed it to him.

In her usual charcoal, it was a drawing of flowers. Not a still life of a vase, nor a bouquet, though. From one edge of the page to the other, it was filled with petals, leaves, and stems. Flowers of different shapes and sizes were all jumbled together like someone had just piled them up, not caring about proper arrangement.

He liked it. He liked it a lot. Tess made it, and just for him. 

"I knew you would," Tess said before she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Keep it safe," she whispered in his ear, "so that you'll never forget me."

It was three years later, and Valentines Day was fast approaching yet again. Kevin worried a sunflower seed shell between his teeth as he looked out from the office windows. 

"Dr. Burkhoff? Something wrong?"

Kevin spun at the sound of Shawn's voice. He suddenly felt abashed for taking time out of solving a potential world crisis just to stare wistfully out a window. "Nothing's wrong," Kevin said, sitting back at his desk. "Other than the usual problems." He gestured to the piles of papers and files on his desk.

Clearly, he hadn't been convincing enough. Shawn pressed further. "If there's anything I can do, you know all you have to do is ask."

Shawn was always more than generous, but... Kevin shook his head. "Forget it, it's nothing."

"Come on, something's obviously on your mind."

The shell cracked apart under the force of his jaw clenching. "Well..." What was the harm in asking? Shawn would probably just laugh and Kevin would feel even more foolish than he already was. He took a breath. "I need to leave the Center."

Shawn's eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"

"No! Not permanently. I need... There's a personal errand."

"Oh, sure. No one's stopping you from-" Kevin just looked at him like the idiot he was currently being. Realization dawned quickly on Shawn's face. "I suppose you're not very keen on just running personal errands in a Collier-controlled city."

"Not, particularly, no. Not when he's still actively wishes to kidnap me."

"Fine. I'll get you one of the Center's cars and a bodyguard."

"No, that's not necessary, really. It's not worth all the trouble. Forget I said anything."

Shawn leaned on the desk, invading Kevin's personal space _again_. "No trouble at all. Anything you need. Anything."

Why did it always feel like Shawn was bullying him into accepting his offers of kindness? Kevin sighed. "All right."

Mike, a 4400, was assigned to go with Kevin on his trip to the city. They stood next to each other as Kevin examined the shelves of stuffed animals. "What exactly is the difference between all these spaniels? Cocker, Springer, Cavalier King Charles... That's rather specific."

Mike shrugged. He was assigned as bodyguard due to his ability to harden his skin into a protective layer that could not be penetrated by knives and bullets. How exactly he learned about being impervious to bullets, Kevin decided not to ask. "Does it matter?" Asked Mike.

"Not really. I think it was a King Charles." He pulled down the doll tagged as such. 

"Where to next, doctor?"

"Jewelery, I think, and some place that does framing."

* * *

On the morning of February the 14th, Tess was only half-awake when she rolled over and let out a small, disappointed groan to discover Kevin had already left. She scooted closer to his side in the hope that it hadn't been so long that she couldn't get some extra warmth there. She stopped. There was already something occupying the space. 

She opened her eyes and gasped as she found herself face-to-face with a life-size, floppy doll of a dog. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It looked almost exactly like the dog her family had when she was a little girl. Her named had been Spunky.

Tess bit her lip as she gathered it into her arms and buried her face into its soft, realistic fur. "Oh, Kevin!" She gave it a tight squeeze. That's when she noticed something around its neck. It wasn't a collar. Tess gasped again. It was a gold necklace with a little heart pendant, simple and beautiful. She took it off the dog and put it around her own neck.

Tess got out of bed and went to see how it looked on her in the mirror, even in just her nightgown and with bedhead. The gold glistened in the morning light coming in the windows. 

She grabbed the doll again and exited the bedroom. Maybe Kevin hadn't left for his lab or office yet. Maybe he was still having breakfast. She was immediately disappointed to find the kitchen and living room vacant. There was a wrapped package on the coffee table, something thin and rectangular. There was a heart-shaped card attached to it. "This is too much," Tess said to the air.

"Is it? I'm sorry."

Tess turned around. Kevin was drying his hands on a bathroom towel. She ran to him, flinging her arms around his neck, dropping the dog. "It is, but don't apologize." She kissed him. He tasted strongly of mint toothpaste. 

She pulled back and pouted. "That wasn't very nice, making me think you left all this and ran off!"

Kevin cleared his throat. "That had been the plan."

She took his hand and led him to the sofa where she pushed him down to sit. "Well, you're staying now. I won't open this without you." She knelt next to the coffee table and the wrapped package. She opened the card and read it to herself: _My darling Tess, I never was not ever will be in any danger of forgetting you._

She frowned a little. She looked up at Kevin to ask what he meant. He shook his head and told her to just open it. She pulled off the string and ripped through the plain brown paper. It was time again for Tess to gasp in surprise and delight. "I didn't know you still had it!"

She picked up the drawing, her own, now framed in dark wood and protected by glass. It was the first one she ever gave Kevin, back in the hospital. It still bore obvious creases from where it had been folded and opened numerous times. 

"You told me to keep it safe."

She set it back down, and before he knew it, Kevin had a lap-full of Tess, her arms around him, holding tight. 

"Tess! Don't cry."

"M'not," she protested even as he brushed away a lock of hair that was stuck to her cheek from the tears. "You're too good to me," she mumbled into his neck.

"No such thing."

They kissed again. "Stay here today," Tess said.

"Tess, I-"

She ducked her head and tucked it under Kevin's chin. She raised a hand and placed it on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "I know it's terrible and selfish, and I know they need you, and I'm glad we're no longer fugitives, but sometimes I miss it. I miss having you all to myself."

Kevin was stroking Tess' hair with one hand and had the other arm wrapped around her waist. "Maybe it is selfish, but I miss it, too."

"Then stay. You deserve a day, they _owe_ you one full day." Without leaving his lap, Tess leaned over and snatched the phone from the end table. "Call Shawn. He'll understand."

Kevin didn't look fully convinced, but took the phone and dialed Shawn's extension. Tess sat back and fiddled with her new necklace.

"Shawn? It's Dr. Burkhoff, I just wanted to let you know I won't be in my office today." Kevin's brow knitted in confusion. "Oh. I see. Thank you." he hung up. "He said he wasn't expecting me in today."

Tess giggled. "Looks like you're not the only brilliant person here."


End file.
